Rachel is 22 today. She is an incredible young woman and we are so proud of her! She loves God with all of her heart and she has a desire to lead children to a life changing experience with Jesus Christ. She is a junior at Central Bible College in Springfield MO, majoring in Children's Ministry. This is the last birthday we'll celebrate with her as a single girl. She'll be getting married next May to her sweetheart, Michael.
From birth Rachel has been so independent. There were times I just wanted to sit and cuddle or rock her. She was not interested in that at all. She did not want to sit still at all. When she started kindergarten, she didn't need any help from me. When she left for college, it was a bit sad for her, but within weeks she was in her element and had her routine down.
The things I admire most about her is her organization and her ability to make good use of small chunks of time. She usually always carried a book to read as we drove across town. No use to sit in the car for 20 minutes doing nothing. There were times in elementary school that she would do her homework on the way home from school. There were very few times in her life that I had to insist that she clean her room. There was a place for everything and most of the time everything was in its place. (The exceptions are the summers that she has been home since going to college. It was temporary, I just shut the door :o)
She is definitely her father's child. She may look a bit like me, but she has Lackey blood running through her veins! She has his personality 100%. She is driven like him, always moving, thinking. She has always been a leader among her peers.
Here's how I would describe her:
R - rambunctious
A - active
C - cares for children
H - happy
E - excitable
L - loves . . . to talk, the Iowa State Fair, chocolate, & shopping!
We are in Springfield to spend her special day with her. We can't enjoy the Fair today, but we can shop, listen to you talk and share some chocolate! We love you Rachel, we're proud of you and thanks to that shopping trip that Dad promised we know you will have a fabulous birthday!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Our First Sunday!
We had an incredible first Sunday here in Independence. God is so faithful. The people here have been so welcoming and we feel so loved already. They are anxious for us to get moved down here and so are we! We aren't necessarily going to wait for the house in Des Moines to sell before we move, but we would sure like to get that chapter closed as well. Please continue to pray with us that the house sells quickly.
Dwight is in the office today and then we'll take off to Springfield to stay with Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jim for a couple of nights and spend the day with Rachel on her birthday. Then we'll head back to Independence on Wednesday to do Bible Study, be in the office on Thursday, go to Des Moines on Thursday night, come back to Independence on Saturday, etc etc etc.
I really don't like leaving Aaron in Des Moines so much. He is so anxious to be with us in Independence and we are ready to be settled in.
You may have heard that Rachel and Mike have set a wedding date! May 8, 2009 is the big day and we are thrilled! I'm called around today to locate some florist, caterers, photographers, etc. Let the planning begin! We are going to make her Save the Date cards, invitations, thank yous, programs and some of the reception decorations. I really need to get my stamp room moved and settled soon. That is where I'll be spending a lot of time in the next few months.
Tomorrow is Rachel's birthday, check back for a special post about her. Until then . . .
Dwight is in the office today and then we'll take off to Springfield to stay with Aunt Shirley and Uncle Jim for a couple of nights and spend the day with Rachel on her birthday. Then we'll head back to Independence on Wednesday to do Bible Study, be in the office on Thursday, go to Des Moines on Thursday night, come back to Independence on Saturday, etc etc etc.
I really don't like leaving Aaron in Des Moines so much. He is so anxious to be with us in Independence and we are ready to be settled in.
You may have heard that Rachel and Mike have set a wedding date! May 8, 2009 is the big day and we are thrilled! I'm called around today to locate some florist, caterers, photographers, etc. Let the planning begin! We are going to make her Save the Date cards, invitations, thank yous, programs and some of the reception decorations. I really need to get my stamp room moved and settled soon. That is where I'll be spending a lot of time in the next few months.
Tomorrow is Rachel's birthday, check back for a special post about her. Until then . . .
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
What a Welcome!
Dwight and I drove to Independence today for Bible Study tonight. I dropped Dwight off at the hotel so he could study. Meanwhile I went shopping at the huge Mall that is less than 5 minutes from the church. I may just go to work with him everyday! :)
Later on we went to supper at Chili's and then to church. We were welcomed with open arms by this wonderful group of people. Dwight did a fabulous job in Bible Study, as always in my humble opinion.
We brought some boxes from his office so he could get his office set up. As soon as we walked in, there was mail on his desk. That was a great feeling! Then, someone walked in with a pan of brownies! Oh my! THEN, after church he was given a GARMIN! We were shocked! He casually mentioned in his Sunday night sermon that he was going to purchase a Garmin so we could learn our way around Independence and find out where everyone lived. So now we have one and we can't wait to get moved and start to visit these wonderful people. THANKS SO MUCH!
Daily, we are reminded of how God takes care of His own. What a great privilege and responsibility He has entrused us with to pastor this great church! We are grateful! We're looking forward to our first Sunday!
Later on we went to supper at Chili's and then to church. We were welcomed with open arms by this wonderful group of people. Dwight did a fabulous job in Bible Study, as always in my humble opinion.
We brought some boxes from his office so he could get his office set up. As soon as we walked in, there was mail on his desk. That was a great feeling! Then, someone walked in with a pan of brownies! Oh my! THEN, after church he was given a GARMIN! We were shocked! He casually mentioned in his Sunday night sermon that he was going to purchase a Garmin so we could learn our way around Independence and find out where everyone lived. So now we have one and we can't wait to get moved and start to visit these wonderful people. THANKS SO MUCH!
Daily, we are reminded of how God takes care of His own. What a great privilege and responsibility He has entrused us with to pastor this great church! We are grateful! We're looking forward to our first Sunday!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Great Is Thy Faithfulness!
Welcome to our family blog. So many of our friends here in Iowa have asked for our contact information in Independence and we thought this would be a great way to kind of keep in touch. We will try to post two to three times per week to keep you updated on our family happenings.
Speaking of Independence, Dwight was elected as Senior Pastor at First Assembly of God in Independence MO on Sunday, September 7. We are thrilled with the opportunity that God has blessed us with. The church has beautiful facilities, including a GORGEOUS Sanctuary for a wedding, is located in an affluent area, just off of Hwy 291. It has incredible visibility to the community and with a Pastoral Staff of four, it will be poised to grow!!!
Following the election, the deacon board asked if he could do Bible Study on Wednesday night the 10th and start next Sunday. Of course, we gladly agreed. So, we are driving down on Wednesday, doing Bible Study, coming home on Thursday, going back down on Saturday and coming home on Monday. Please pray with us that our house will sell quickly and we can become permanent residents of Independence. We are excited to do so!
Rachel and I are very eager to begin "the wedding of the century" plans. :) A woman in the church just got married a couple of months ago and she graciously offered all her "stuff" for us to look at with regard to florists, caterers, etc. I am also going to ask to see her pictures to see how she decorated the Sanctuary. Watch for Save the Date cards to arrive soon. We hope to have them out in October. Rachel has to decide on the date first. :) We purchased her wedding dress back in June and it came in the day before she left to go back to Central Bible College in Springfield. She went in for her first fitting. It was a family event. We all went. It was an incredibly happy ending to a not so happy summer for her. God is good!
Aaron loves Independence! He has already purchased a KU hoodie and hat. (whatever that means) He is eager to get settled and continue with his Global University courses. He is continuing his job at Staples in Altoona until we officially move. He would like to take a break in between jobs and visit family in Southeast Missouri. So we will do that sometime soon. He reminded us that it has been over a year since he had seen his MaMa and Uncle Mike. I sort of forgot how busy we had been.
I will be involved in helping Dwight get his "system" set up at the office. I am very much looking forward to getting involved in Women's Ministries at the church any maybe teaching Sunday School. We met with the ladies group on Saturday, September 6 and they are very excited and anxious to get some things planned. We talked about so many ideas. I'll keep you posted on our events and maybe with the help of Aaron, we'll even post some pictures.
Thanks so much for your prayers, cards, calls and the many other ways you have supported us these last 10 weeks. God has been so incredibly faithful. I am so grateful for a husband who loves God more than anything else. He has been an fabulous example of how to lead his family out of the valley on to the mountain top. When the kids were younger and he would tuck them into bed and say their prayers, he would always thank God that He sent them to our house to live. I'm confident that through this summer, my kids will thank God that He gave them the Dad that He did.
We really do want to keep in touch and hope you will enjoy the updates that we'll post here. Stay tuned.
Speaking of Independence, Dwight was elected as Senior Pastor at First Assembly of God in Independence MO on Sunday, September 7. We are thrilled with the opportunity that God has blessed us with. The church has beautiful facilities, including a GORGEOUS Sanctuary for a wedding, is located in an affluent area, just off of Hwy 291. It has incredible visibility to the community and with a Pastoral Staff of four, it will be poised to grow!!!
Following the election, the deacon board asked if he could do Bible Study on Wednesday night the 10th and start next Sunday. Of course, we gladly agreed. So, we are driving down on Wednesday, doing Bible Study, coming home on Thursday, going back down on Saturday and coming home on Monday. Please pray with us that our house will sell quickly and we can become permanent residents of Independence. We are excited to do so!
Rachel and I are very eager to begin "the wedding of the century" plans. :) A woman in the church just got married a couple of months ago and she graciously offered all her "stuff" for us to look at with regard to florists, caterers, etc. I am also going to ask to see her pictures to see how she decorated the Sanctuary. Watch for Save the Date cards to arrive soon. We hope to have them out in October. Rachel has to decide on the date first. :) We purchased her wedding dress back in June and it came in the day before she left to go back to Central Bible College in Springfield. She went in for her first fitting. It was a family event. We all went. It was an incredibly happy ending to a not so happy summer for her. God is good!
Aaron loves Independence! He has already purchased a KU hoodie and hat. (whatever that means) He is eager to get settled and continue with his Global University courses. He is continuing his job at Staples in Altoona until we officially move. He would like to take a break in between jobs and visit family in Southeast Missouri. So we will do that sometime soon. He reminded us that it has been over a year since he had seen his MaMa and Uncle Mike. I sort of forgot how busy we had been.
I will be involved in helping Dwight get his "system" set up at the office. I am very much looking forward to getting involved in Women's Ministries at the church any maybe teaching Sunday School. We met with the ladies group on Saturday, September 6 and they are very excited and anxious to get some things planned. We talked about so many ideas. I'll keep you posted on our events and maybe with the help of Aaron, we'll even post some pictures.
Thanks so much for your prayers, cards, calls and the many other ways you have supported us these last 10 weeks. God has been so incredibly faithful. I am so grateful for a husband who loves God more than anything else. He has been an fabulous example of how to lead his family out of the valley on to the mountain top. When the kids were younger and he would tuck them into bed and say their prayers, he would always thank God that He sent them to our house to live. I'm confident that through this summer, my kids will thank God that He gave them the Dad that He did.
We really do want to keep in touch and hope you will enjoy the updates that we'll post here. Stay tuned.
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